Algonquin Books Blog

We’re thinking about dad this week. And in upcoming blog posts, we’ll be sharing essays, personal stories and remembrances of time spent with dad. Dad who always has the answers. Dad who knows all the questions. Dad who seems to know all.

But today, we have just one question: Why is it always so hard to buy a Father’s Day gift for dear ole dad?

That’s the one answer dads don’t give. They don’t say what they want. They’re not thinking about themselves. (They’re probably thinking about us.) But we’re thinking about them. And we think dads are a fascinating bunch. All that wisdom has to come from somewhere, right? From a lifetime of varied interests and endeavors. From a lifetime baseball and books. From a lifetime of appreciating the important moments. So, here are some gift ideas for dads who like to cook, garden, eat, laugh and think…

Look who’s making dinner! Twenty-one of our favorite writers and chefs expound upon the joys—and perils—of feeding their families. This book celebrates those who toil behind the stove, trying to nourish and please. Their tales are accompanied by more than sixty family-tested recipes, time-saving tips, and cookbook recommendations, as well as New Yorker cartoons.

In his prime, Edward Bloom was an extraordinary man. He could outrun anybody. He never missed a day of school. He saved lives and tamed giants. Animals loved him, people loved him, women loved him. He knew more jokes than any man alive. At least that’s what he told his son, William. But now Edward Bloom is dying, and William wants desperately to know the truth about his elusive father —this indefatigable teller of tall tales—before it’s too late.

Henry Childs is just seventeen when he falls into a love affair so intense it nearly consumes him. But when young Mercy’s disapproving father threatens Henry’s life, Henry runs as far as he can—to the other side of the world.

The 1970s was a decade marked by Vietnam, Watergate, counterculture, sexual liberation, and stadium rock. For author Josh Wilker, it was a time spent navigating a challenging childhood in which only his prized baseball card collection could give him unfailing faith that a winning season would one day present itself.

William Alexander is determined to bake the perfect loaf of bread. He tasted it long ago, in a restaurant, and has been trying to reproduce it ever since. Without success. But now he’s going to try again—every week for one year—until he gets it right. He will bake his peasant loaf from scratch. And because Alexander is nothing if not thorough, he really means from scratch: growing, harvesting, winnowing, threshing, and milling his own wheat.

When Alexander runs (just for fun!) a cost-benefit analysis, adding up everything from the live animal trap to the Velcro tomato wraps and then amortizing it over the life of his garden, it comes as quite a shock to learn that it cost him a staggering $64 to grow each one of his beloved Brandywine tomatoes. But as any gardener will tell you, you can’t put a price on the unparalleled pleasures of providing fresh food for your family.